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what i do is use a 160 GB SSD for OS and software
i keep the data on a separate drive, 1-2 TB
and imo the SSD is the best investment i made the last 20 years regarding PC performancs - i i don't run databases ! !

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The deal with the SSD is that you also take a big performance hit if I/O isn't an exact multiple of 4K or 128KB and it isn't aligned. For the type of work this machine is doing, unless you need protection against vibration then real-world you'll be better off having nearly 100% of read I/Os be twice the speed as they are now, and the data protection FIRST.

Then after you have your RAID1, add a SSD if you wish.

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bill2013Author Commented: 2014-02-10

OK, for future projects most systems will use a large Access or SQL database.

So, if say 1 x 1TB SATA3 on a cheapish m-ATX motherboard with SATA3 gave read and write times of 5 (on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is fast), what would:

Pretty much any SSD will do. You won't really feel the difference between a "regular" ssd and a top of the line one, apart from bragging rights.
I recently switched my 5 year old 120 GB Vertex for a 240GB Intel 530 and my system works as fast as ever.

i use intel ones - they also give you a toolbox, and other software, and are very reliable.
and i said : "select sandForce drives if you need the most speedy ones "
if you want to use Kningston, look up the reviews on it

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bill2013Author Commented: 2014-02-12

I did a search on sandForce and among several brands Kingston came up saying it used an LSI SandForce controller.